Each year, high achieving seventh grade students who qualify participate in the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP) Seventh Grade Talent Search. These seventh graders take above grade level tests, either the ACT or the SAT,  to help educators & families gain greater insight into their academic abilities.

This year, 101 seventh graders in Shelby County Schools participated in the Duke University Talent Identification Program. Based on their performance on these college level tests, 43 students will receive “State recognition” and seven students qualified for “Grand recognition.”

The following schools had 2015 Duke TIP Award winners:

School	Grand Award	State Award
Calera Middle		1
Columbiana Middle	1	7
Montevallo Middle	1	2
Oak Mtn. Middle	5	29
Helena Middle		4
Total Qualified in Shelby County	7	43

 

Students invited to the State Ceremony meet at least one of the following criteria:

ACT                                              SAT
English                 ≥21                 Math                                   ≥530
Math                    ≥21                 Critical Reading                 ≥510
Reading               ≥21                 Writing                                ≥500
Science                ≥21

Students invited to the Grand Ceremony must meet at least one of the following criteria (only about 3% of all the participants in the talent search qualify for grand recognition):

ACT                                                SAT
English                 ≥29                  Math                                    ≥680
Math                     ≥28                 Critical Reading                 ≥650
Reading               ≥30                  Writing                                 ≥650
Science                ≥27                  Math + Critical Reading + Writing              ≥1850
Composite          ≥28

This year, the State Ceremony will be on May 4 at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.  The following students from Shelby County Schools qualified for State recognition:

School	Student
Calera Middle	Bailey Jackson
Columbiana Middle	Noah Harper                       Sarah Smith Morgan Jeffries                   Victoria Snyder Jason Kelley, Jr.                  Sarah Turner Rachael Reeves
Montevallo Middle	Grayson Fulmer                  Evan Zou
Oak Mtn. Middle	Maggie Beard                   Patrick Guffey              Michael Neal Anna Beatty                     Joseph Johnson            Joshua Ogle Kathryn Branum               Eugene Lee                  Cole Rierson Matthew Bray                   Gideon Lombardo          Chiraag Samal Elizabeth Camp                 Luke Love                     William Sawyer Evan Dunbar                     Nathanial Lusco              Bailey Shin Charles Eggers                  Angela Ly                      Madison Smith Eli Fizer                            Luke May                       Madaline Taylor Neil Furman                      Gregory McCallum         William Throckmorton Elena Gagliano                  Dylan Moore
Helena Middle	Hannah Cost                       Christian Vanzant Abigail Ford                         Connor Wolf

 

The 2015 Grand Ceremony will be on May 18 at Duke University.  The following students from Shelby County Schools qualified for Grand recognition:

School	Student
Columbiana Middle	Rachael Reeves
Montevallo Middle	Evan Zou
Oak Mtn. Middle	Matthew Bray                       Neil Furman Elizabeth Camp                     Evan Dunbar Elana Gagliano